{"id":478,"date":"2015-08-12T17:00:52","date_gmt":"2015-08-13T00:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swahilipoetry.humnet.ucla.edu\/?page_id=478"},"modified":"2026-05-27T10:48:37","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T17:48:37","slug":"leo-ni-leo","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/swahilipoetry.humspace.ucla.edu\/?page_id=478","title":{"rendered":"Leo ni Leo"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Leo ni Leo<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nToday is the Day<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Leo ni leo, leo ni leo<\/span><\/td>\nToday is the day, today is the day,<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mtauona mpambano, kweli si uongo<\/span><\/td>\nYou\u00a0pl<\/em>\u00a0will see a struggle, truly, it\u2019s no lie.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Jamali wa umbo, Na wajihi mwema<\/span><\/td>\n(You sg <\/em>have) a beautiful figure, With a pleasant countenance<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mwingi wa urembo, Nawacha kusema<\/span><\/td>\nFull of beauty, I have nothing (further) to say<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Wanitenda mambo, Bila ya huruma<\/span><\/td>\nYou (sg.) are concerned with my business, Without mercy.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
Summary<\/h5>\n

This is a song Askew heard at a wedding; it announced the entrance of the bride into the reception hall. In the first verse the singers address the wedding guests, and in the second they praise the beauty of the bride. The meaning of some of the lines\u00a0is not obvious, though may well refer to rivalries among certain guests.<\/span><\/p>\n

Askew Translation<\/p>\n

Today is the day, today is the day<\/p>\n

You will see a contest, and that\u2019s no lie<\/p>\n

Exquisite in body and in appearance<\/p>\n

Beautiful throughout \u2013 I\u2019ll stop talking<\/p>\n

You treat me without mercy.<\/p>\n

Glossary<\/h5>\n

jamali<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 [adj.]\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Exquisite (KA). Beautiful (TJH). See jamala<\/em> courtesy, good manners, elegance, beauty, grace, gracious (kind, obliging) behavior, affability (FJ). Jamali<\/em><\/strong> wa umbo, Na wajihi mwema<\/em>, (You sg <\/em>have) a beautiful figure, With a pleasant countenance (KA-LL).<\/p>\n

mpambano\/mi-\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 [n. 3\/4]\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Competition, struggle (TJH). Contest (Ask). Encounter, battle, fight, match; collision, clash (K&K). See \u2013pambana<\/em> come together, get into contact, whether pleasant or otherwise, thus of ships. (1) go abreast, lie alongside, but usually (2) collide, fall foul of each other, jostle together (FJ). Mtauona mpambano<\/strong>, kweli si uongo<\/em>, You will see a struggle, truly, it\u2019s no lie (KA-LL).<\/p>\n

umbo\/ma-<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 [n. 5\/6]\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Figure, body shape (TJH). Shape, form, natural condition (appearance, constitution) (FJ). Shape, outward likeness; frame, form, fashion, natural condition, constitution, substance, appearance; beauty (K&K). Jamali wa umbo<\/strong>, Na wajihi mwema<\/em>, (You sg <\/em>have) a beautiful figure, With a pleasant countenance (KA-LL).<\/p>\n

wajihi<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 [n. 9\/10]\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Form, appearance (FJ). Form, face, appearance; countenance of a man, dignity (K&K). Jamali wa umbo, Na wajihi<\/strong> mwema<\/em>, (You sg <\/em>have) a beautiful figure, With a pleasant countenance (KA-LL).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Leo ni Leo Today is the Day Leo ni leo, leo ni leo Today is the day, today is the day, Mtauona mpambano, kweli si uongo You\u00a0pl\u00a0will see a struggle, truly, it\u2019s no lie. Jamali wa umbo, Na wajihi mwema (You sg have) a beautiful figure, With a pleasant countenance Mwingi wa urembo, Nawacha kusema … Continue reading Leo ni Leo<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":471,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-478","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swahilipoetry.humspace.ucla.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/478","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swahilipoetry.humspace.ucla.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swahilipoetry.humspace.ucla.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swahilipoetry.humspace.ucla.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swahilipoetry.humspace.ucla.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=478"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/swahilipoetry.humspace.ucla.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/478\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":878,"href":"https:\/\/swahilipoetry.humspace.ucla.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/478\/revisions\/878"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swahilipoetry.humspace.ucla.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/471"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swahilipoetry.humspace.ucla.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=478"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}